This invention relates to external infusion devices and, in particular embodiments, to a medication infusion device that includes the capability to be remotely controlled, a bolus estimator to determine the dosage to be administered by the infusion device, and a vibration alarm.
Insulin must be provided to people with Type I and many with Type II diabetes. Traditionally, since it cannot be taken orally, insulin has been injected with a syringe. More recently, use of external infusion pump therapy has been increasing, especially for delivering insulin for diabetics using devices worn on a belt, in a pocket, or the like, with the insulin delivered via a catheter with a percutaneous needle or cannula placed in the subcutaneous tissue. For example, as of 1995, less than 5% of Type I diabetics in the United States were using pump therapy. There are now about 7% of the currently over 900,000 Type I diabetics in the U.S. using insulin pump therapy, and the percentage is now growing at an absolute rate of over 2% each year. Moreover, the number of Type I diabetics is growing at 3% or more per year. In addition, growing numbers of insulin using Type II diabetics are also using external insulin infusion pumps. Physicians have recognized that continuous infusion provides greater control of a diabetic""s condition, and are also increasingly prescribing it for patients. In addition, medication pump therapy is becoming more important for the treatment and control of other medical conditions, such as pulmonary hypertension, HIV and cancer. Although offering control, pump therapy can suffer from several complications that make use of a pump less desirable for the user.
One drawback is the inability to conceal an external infusion pump and catheter tubing from view. Many users desire to hide the external pump under clothing so as not to seem different from normal people. However, this is inconvenient or impractical, especially for diseases such as diabetes, since a user must have ready access to the external pump for monitoring or administering extra amounts of medication (i.e., boluses during the course of the day). If a user has concealed the external pump, the user must partially undress or carefully maneuver the external pump to a location that permits access to the display and keypad.
A further drawback is the inability to limit the access of the user to certain capabilities. For instance, the user should have access to the keypad so that the user can change the values and parameters of daily pump operation. However, there may be certain parameters that the user should not have access to. This can be especially important, when the pump is being used by children or the elderly. However, if access is very limited, a user may even have to go to the factory and/or to the physician to have the parameters changed.
Another drawback for diabetic pump users, in particular, is the determination of the amount of bolus insulin to be delivered for a meal so as to avoid high blood sugars that would otherwise be caused by the meal. This can be a difficult calculation using formulas and approximations that have several variables that must be measured and calculated. Often, it is easier, but not the best for control, for the user to simply guess what they need rather than to calculate the actual amount of the bolus needed to adequately cover the carbohydrates being consumed. However, in worse case scenarios, guessing can lead to under or overdosing of medication, sometimes with dire consequences.
Another drawback to using an infusion pump, is the step of priming the external infusion pump to remove gas bubbles in the reservoir and/or tubing. The user must first manually shake the reservoir to move any bubbles to the distal end of the reservoir. Then the user must carefully expel the bubbles through the tubing. However, unless all bubbles are moved to the distal end of the reservoir, the user will have to expel a larger amount of medication, which can be wasteful, and very costly for special types of medications, such as those used in HIV and cancer treatment. Improved methods of priming the external infusion pump are needed.
It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide an improved external infusion device, which obviates for practical purposes, the above mentioned limitations.
According to an embodiment of the invention, an external infusion device for infusion of a liquid into a body includes a housing, a receiver, a processor and indication device. The receiver is coupled to the housing for receiving remotely generated commands. The processor is coupled to the housing and the receiver to receive remotely generated commands and to control the external infusion device in accordance with the commands. The indication device indicates when a command has been received and indicates when the command is being utilized to control the external infusion device. In this way, the external infusion device can be operated when concealed from view by being remotely commanded.
Further embodiments include a memory for storing programs, and the receiver is capable of receiving software updates and facilitating remote programming of external infusion device capabilities. In addition, the memory may store patient infusion history and pump activity. Also, the remotely generated commands may be capable of programming and activating an audio (or vibratory) bolus delivery of the liquid by the external infusion device, a temporary basal rate delivery of the liquid by the external infusion device, of suspending delivery of the liquid by the external infusion device, an extended bolus (such as a square wave bolus or profiled bolus) delivery of the liquid by the external infusion device, and a dual wave bolus delivery of the liquid by the external infusion device.
In particular embodiments, an infusion system for infusing a liquid into a body includes an external infusion device and a remote commander. The external infusion device includes a housing, a receiver, a processor and an indication device. The receiver is coupled to the housing for receiving remotely generated commands. The processor is coupled to the housing and the receiver to receive remotely generated commands to control the external infusion device in accordance with the commands. The indication device indicates when a command has been received and indicates when the command is being utilized to control the external infusion device so that the external infusion device is capable of being concealed from view when being remotely commanded. The remote commander includes a commander housing, a keypad for transmitting commands, and a transmitter for transmitting commands to the receiver of the external infusion device.
In particular embodiments, the remote commander is sized to fit on a key ring. Also, the remote commander may use RF frequencies, optical frequencies, IR frequencies, ultrasonic frequencies, magnetic effects, or the like, to transmit remote commands to the external infusion device. In addition, the remote commander is capable of providing remote commands at a distance greater than 1 inch. Furthermore, the processor of the external infusion device has a unique identification code, and the remote commander includes the capability to read and learn the unique identification code of the external infusion device. Alternatively, the user can program in the unique identification code. The remote commander and the external infusion device use a unique identification code to substantially avoid interference with other external infusion devices.
In still other embodiments, the remote commander includes a mode that permits physician controlled programming of specific capabilities of the external infusion device to the exclusion of the user, and the remote commander may also include a link to a computer to allow programming to initiate or alter available capabilities of the external infusion device. Also, the external infusion device may include a memory for storing programs, and the receiver is capable of receiving software updates and facilitating remote programming of external infusion device capabilities. In addition, the memory may store patient infusion history and pump activity. Finally, the remote commander may be capable of receiving data from another medical device and providing the received data to the external infusion device and/or remotely commanding and controlling another medical device. Other embodiments of the remote commander may also display the data.
In further preferred embodiments, an external infusion device for infusion of a liquid into a body includes a housing, a processor, a bolus estimator and an indication device. The bolus estimator used in conjunction with the processor and externally supplied values will estimate an amount of liquid to be infused based upon an estimate of a material to be taken in by the body. The indication device is used to indicate when an amount of fluid to be infused has been estimated. In addition, the bolus estimator includes the capability to estimate a correction bolus based upon a current characteristic value and a target characteristic value and/or a liquid sensitivity that is used to determine the amount of liquid to be infused so as to estimate the correction bolus. Further, embodiments of the bolus estimator include a lockout to prevent the calculation of a bolus for a predetermined period of time after a bolus has been estimated by the bolus estimator. Other embodiments include a duration factor to account for how long a previously infused amount of liquid will remain active in the body, and to adjust the estimate accordingly. In preferred embodiments, the liquid to be infused is insulin, and the material to be taken in is carbohydrates. Also, codes representing the carbohydrate levels of specific foods or meals may be used as the externally supplied values.
In yet another embodiment, an external infusion device for infusion of a liquid into a body includes a housing containing a reservoir, a processor and a vibration device. The processor is coupled to the housing. The vibration device is used in conjunction with the processor to provide an alarm, and to generate sufficient vibration to assist in removing gas bubbles from the fluid in the reservoir during priming of the external infusion device. In further embodiments, the vibration device is used to agitate the fluid in the reservoir in between periodic deliveries of the fluid by the external infusion device and/or during delivery of the fluid by the external infusion device.
In other embodiments, an external infusion device for infusion of a liquid into a body includes a housing containing a reservoir, a processor, an audible alarm and a vibration device. The processor is coupled to the housing, and the audible alarm. The vibration device is used in conjunction with the processor and the audible alarm to provide an alarm. In further embodiments, the vibration device is also used to agitate the fluid in the reservoir in between periodic deliveries of the fluid by the external infusion device and/or during delivery of the fluid by the external infusion device. In particular embodiments, the processor selects to activate one of the audible alarm and vibration alarm independently of the unselected alarm.
In still yet another embodiment, an external infusion device for infusion of a liquid into a body includes a housing, a processor, a keypad and an indication device. The processor is coupled to the housing, and the keypad is coupled to the housing and used in conjunction with the processor to determine an estimate of remaining battery power. The indication device indicates an estimate of remaining battery power.
In still further embodiments, an external infusion device for infusion of a liquid into a body includes a housing, a processor, a memory, a keypad and an indication device. The processor is coupled to the housing, and the memory is coupled to and used in conjunction with the processor to store at least two personal delivery patterns. The keypad is also coupled to the housing and used in conjunction with the processor to select one of the at least two personal delivery patterns, and the indication device indicates the selected personal delivery pattern. In preferred embodiments, the processor controls the external infusion device in accordance with the selected one of the at least two personal delivery patterns.
In further embodiments, an external infusion device for infusion of a liquid into a body includes a housing, a processor, a memory, a keypad and an indication device. The processor is coupled to the housing, and the memory is coupled to and used in conjunction with the processor to store at least two basal rate profiles. The keypad is also coupled to the housing and used in conjunction with the processor to program the at least two basal rate profiles, and the indication device indicates the basal rate profile during programming. In preferred embodiments, the processor controls the external infusion device in accordance with the programmed at least basal rate profiles.
In yet further embodiments, an external infusion device for infusion of a liquid into a body includes a housing, a processor, a memory, a keypad and an indication device. The processor is coupled to the housing, and the memory is coupled to and used in conjunction with the processor to store at least two bolus types. The keypad is also coupled to the housing and used in conjunction with the processor to select one of the at least two bolus types, and the indication device indicates the selected bolus type. In preferred embodiments, the processor controls the external infusion device in accordance with the selected one of the at least two bolus types.
In yet still further embodiments, an external infusion device for infusion of a liquid into a body includes a housing, a receiver, processor, memory and an indication device. The receiver is coupled to the housing for receiving remotely generated commands. The processor is coupled to the housing and the memory device. The memory is used in conjunction with the processor to store at least two personal delivery patterns, and the processor is coupled to the receiver to receive the remotely generated commands and to control the external infusion device in accordance with the commands to select one of the at least two personal delivery patterns. The indication device is used to indicate the selected personal delivery pattern and when a command has been received to control the external infusion device in accordance with the selected personal delivery pattern such that the external infusion device is capable of being concealed from view when being remotely commanded. Also, the processor controls the external infusion device in accordance with the selected one of the at least two personal delivery patterns.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, various features of embodiments of the invention.